ICOMOS is one of the four founding members of the Blue Shield, established in 1996 to protect heritage around the world during emergencies such as armed conflict, natural and man-made disasters.
After the Second World War, in reaction to the widespread destruction of heritage, in 1954 UNESCO adopted the Hague Convention and its First Protocol for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, creating rules to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts, which were updated in 1999 with a Second Protocol. This was the first widely adopted treaty to highlight the idea of a common heritage internationally. During the development of the Second Protocol, the Blue Shield network was established, in order to protect cultural heritage in emergency situations.
The Blue Shield is the foremost means of preserving heritage through cooperation nationally and internationally. Since its founding in 1996, ICOMOS has been working around the world with and as part of the Blue Shield in disaster and conflict situations to protect cultural heritage. Cultural heritage continues to be threatened, damaged and destroyed, by natural and man-made disasters, wars and other conflicts. These all threaten the possibility of future generations benefiting from the heritage that we share today. In order to guard against this threat, ICOMOS helps train cultural heritage experts and other stakeholders in the safeguarding and protection of heritage, as part of the Blue Shield network.
Like its co-founders, IFLA, the International Federation of Library and Information Associations and Institutions, ICA, the International Council on Archives, and ICOM, the International Council of Museums, ICOMOS is the key international organisation in our field. Together, we sit on the Board of the Blue Shield. ICOMOS elects a representative every three years to represent us on the Blue Shield Board.